Slub detector



Jan. 15, 1935.

' J. L. BITTER ET AL SLUB DETECTOR Filed May 24, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 15, 193 J. L. BITTER, ET'AL 8 v SLUB DETECTOR Filed May 24, 1955 2 sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 15, 1935 UNITED STATES SLUB DETECTOR John L. Bitter and. Karl Baumert, Elizabethton,

Tenn., assignors to North American Rayon Corporation, New York, Delaware N. Y., a corporation of Application May 24, 1933, Serial No. 672,637

1 Claim.

This invention relates to slub catchers for winding machines and the like but primarily has for its object to devise a simple and effective means whereby the slubs in threads may be discovered.

Another object of the present invention is to devise a simple and positive stopping means for winding machines when a slub or knot is discovered in the thread.

A further object of the present invention is to devise a slub catcher which can be quickly and easily adjusted for threads of different thicknesses.

Still another object of the present invention is to devise a slub catcher which is readily adjustable so that a minimum tension will set it into operation.

These and other objects will in part become obvious and in part be pointed out in the following specification takenin conjunction with the attached drawings, in. which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of one unit of a winding machine with our invention attached and the machine in running operation;

Figure 2 is an enlarged front elevation, parts being broken away and the .cone removed, of the upper portion of a winding machine with our invention attached and the parts shown in braking position in full lines after having been released by our invention, the dotted lined positions are the same as shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a detail perspective view, the slub catcher detector element per se, the lower end of the actuating lever being shown in dotted line in position;

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the slub catcher per se with the actuating lever shown in dotted lines; and

Figure 5 is a detail horizontal section on the line 55 of Figure 4.

In the winding of threads an important part of the total production now leaves the plant of the thread manufacturer in packages which can be used immediately on the knitting machine, in the shuttle as filling, or in the warping mill to make warps for the loom. In view of the above the necessity arises for ensuring a yarn in which the slubs are positioned in such a manner as to eliminate the chances of tangling the yarn layer, thereby causing damage to the fabrics which are being knitted or woven.

It is generally the practice in withdrawing threads from the yarn packages to do so vertically and should there be any slubs, the tendency is for the withdrawn thread to catch on these slubs with the usual result of either breaking the thread or disturbing other yarn layers which would cause an entanglement and a stopping of the loom or knitting machine. It is therefore the purpose of the slub catcher or de tector to automatically stop the winding machine during the production of the yarn package so that the operator may rebreak the thread and tie a new knot and place this knot where it will do no harm which is across the end of the yarn package, thereby preventing the knot from interfering with the rest ofthe yarn body.

Heretofore, the slub catchers in general use have proven unreliable in that the slubs even tually worked their way through the slub catching means and the result was that a number of undetected slubs got by the operator and into the yarn package. It was to overcome this fault that we have invented the attachment which is the subject matter of the present application.

In the drawings in which like numerals of reference indicate like parts, 1 indicates the frame of a winding machine, 2 the header frame in which is pivoted the traverse thread guide frame 3. The traverse frame 3 carries the usual traverse thread guiding means 4 which carries the button guide 5 by means of which the thread is laid in the desired cross wind on the take-up cone 6. The type of winding machine illustrated here is used in the winding of cones. The .yarn body is indicated at '7 and the supply spool at 8.

The thread 9 is drawn from the supply spool 8 through thread guides 1010, then over the usual yarn lubricating roller 11. It then passes to another thread guide 12 and is drawn up through the thread guide 13 which is carried by the back plate 14 of my slub catcher. The thread is then drawn through the hinged slub detector element 15 to the tensioning'means 16 which is of the usual construction. After leaving the tension device 16, it passes around a guide rod 17 and under the projecting arm 18 of the bell crank stopping lever 19 which is pivoted on the traverse frame dog 20. The tension of the thread is suflicient to hold-this stopping lever 19 in the position illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawings or as shown in dotted lines in Figure 2. After leaving the arm 18, the thread is carried over the thread guiding means 4 and through the button guide 5 onto the take-up cone 6. With the exception of the parts positioned on the back plate 14 of our device, and the actuating lever 21, the rest of the construction is usual in the art.

This detector element need not necessarily be pivoted as shown in the drawings, but might be very easily adapted to be slidable in a slotted bracket, whereby when the slub caught in the thread passage would raise the detector element out of the path of the actuating lever, thereby releasing it in a like manner as when hinged as shown in the preferred form of the invention. A hinge pin 24 is fixed to move with the detector element 15 and extends out at one side and back at right angles as shown at 25 so as to project into the path of the enlarged contact end 26 of the actuating lever 21 for a reason later to be more fully disclosed. The detector element 15 has a slot 2'7 through which the thread 9 passes but in order to allow for the different diameter threads that may be used, two adjustable slides 28-28 are secured to the under side of the detector element 15 and are held in spaced relation by screws 2929. The plates 2828'have slots 3030 through which the screws 29-29 pass and it is readily seen how by loosening the screws 29-29, the plates 28-28 may be moved either toward one another or away thereby decreasing or increasing the passage 31 through which the thread 9 passes. The thread guide 13 which is adjustably mounted on the back plate 14 as shown at 32, centers the thread 9 so that it will pass between the spaced plates 2828.

To adjust the detector element so that a minimum amount of pull will lift it out of the path of the contact end 26 of the actuating lever 21, there is placed a bracket 33 and a set screw 34 under the detector element 15. A look nut 35 is also provided, so thatwhen an adjustment made it will stay in position.

The actuating lever 21 as before mentioned, is pivoted at 36 on the bracket arm 22. It is spring held at 37. The spring 37 is attached to a bracket 38 on the back plate 14 and always tends to pull thelever 21 against the arm 25 of the hinge pin 24.

The upper portion of the actuating lever 21 has a projecting finger 39 which contacts with an arm 40 of the bell crank lever 19 for the purpose of forcingit downwardly when released by the arm 25 of the hinge pin 24. By so doing it forces the other arm 41 of the bell crank lever 19 against ,the rotating stopping lever wheelv 42 which will kick the traverse frame dog 20, pivoted at 53, up, thereby releasing the brakev lever 43 which has a lug 44 which had been held in position by the slotted finger 45 ofthe dog 20.

The starting lever handle 46 and the brake lever43 are integral one with the other so that when the handle 46 is moved back again the lever 43 is moved back into'engagement with the slotted fingers 45 of the dog 20.

A brake 47 is pivoted at 48 to the brake leve 43 in the usual manner and is forced down into braking engagement with the brake disc 49 in the usual manner when the brake lever is released thereby stopping the take-up spindle 51 of the machine.

In operation the parts are in the position illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawings'and as shown in dotted lines in Figure 2. The thread 9 is being drawn from the supply spool 8 and'passing through the thread guides 1010 and over the lubricating roller 11 and through the thread guide 12 in the usual manner. Then through the thread guide 13 and the thread passage 31.

Should a slub in the thread attempt to pass through the thread passage 31, the slub detector element 15 would be drawn up as shown in dotted lines in Figure 4 which would depress the arm 25 of the hinge pin 24 and allow the'contact end 26 of the actuating lever 21 to be released because of the pull of the spring 37. The actuating lever 21 through the medium of its contact finger 39 pivots the bell crank stopping lever 19' so that the arm 41 is forced against the rotating stopping lever wheel 42 which thereupon kicks the traverse frame dog 20 up thereby releasing the brake lever 43 which is pivoted at 52 and throws the brake 47 into braking engagement with the brake disc 48 thereby stopping the take-up of the thread and enabling the op From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompany n drawings, it is thought the complete construction, operation and' advantages of our invention will be clear to those skilled inthe art to which it relates.

What we claim is:

Slub detector mechanism comprising a back plate, a hinge bracket on said plate, a detector element pivoted on said hinge bracket, a hinge pin integrally attached to said detector element but pivoting freely in said hinge bracket, said hinge pin being extended to form an abutment for an actuating lever, said actuating lever hav- 

